Merida

Santiago de los Caballeros de Merida is the capital of Merida state in western Venezuela. It was founded on 9 October 1558 and named for the Extremaduran town of Merida in Spain. The city and its province were a part of New Granada until 1777, when they were transferred to the Captaincy General of Venezuela, and it played an active role in the Venezuelan War of Independence during the 1810s and early 1820s. It became the largest student and tourist center of western Venezuela, and it was home to the University of Los Andes and the Archdiocese of Merida. In 2011, Merida had a population of 199,878 people.